Use this tag for questions on insects and spiders. Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology. Historically this also included other arthropods such as arachnids (spiders).
Questions tagged [entomology]
62 questions
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Do ants feed on pure honey?
Honey vendors say that to identify pure honey drop a spoonful of honey. If the ants don't feed it is pure.
For example:
Leave a little of testing honey near some ants, if the ants hover around it then the honey is adulterated.Bees naturally build…
Hari Nandha
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Is Frontline (fipronil) an effective treatment for cat fleas?
Frontline Spot On (active ingredient fipronil) is advertised as a treatment for cat fleas:
Kills fleas within 24 hours
Kills fleas for up to 5 weeks in cats
My mum recently went to her vet to buy some, but was told they don't sell it because it…
Tom77
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Is carbon dioxide from a mosquito trap potent enough to attract mosquitoes?
There is a large number of mosquito killer traps available which claim to work on the principle that carbon dioxide generated from the reaction of titanium dioxide with UV light is used as a trap to lure and kill the mosquitoes. Is this setup…
skept101
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Was sucralose accidentally discovered in the course of insectide research?
I see repeated claims, mostly from sources of highly questionable veracity, that Sucralose was developed while searching for new insecticides. ABC news also makes this claim in a summery of various sugar substitutes.
Origin: Another accidental lab…
Compro01
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Are the leaves of bean plants effective for controlling bed bugs?
From the National Geographic article Can We Fake Leaves That Stab Bed Bugs in the Feet?
But in the Balkan countries of southeastern Europe, there’s an old folk
remedy that might be the insects’ undoing.
Before nightfall, people would scatter the…
Jesvin Jose
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Do bees use odor instead of dance to communicate the location of food?
It has long been believed that bees use dance to communicate the location of food amongst each other. If true, this would make bees unique in the insect world, as all other insects are guided by smell. Here's what Wikipedia says about the…
user1873
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Do cockroaches eat margarine?
There is a belief that cockroaches will not eat margarine.
Angie's Option Blog
only humans are foolish enough to eat [margarine] – rats and cockroaches won’t touch the stuff.
Facebook post
Even the humble cockroach won’t eat margarine.
A…
Mindwin Remember Monica
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Do Florida woods cockroaches (aka Palmetto bugs) commonly sell for ~US$80/kg in China?
According to this article on Yahoo news, citing a similar South China Morning Post article, Yuan Meixia bought her initial stock of 20kg of cockroaches for around US$1600:
Yuan, a pharmacy employee, was inspired to raise roaches after seeing
a…
Paul
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Does light pollution matter for Insect declines and agroecosystems?
Recently it was claimed that the increase in artificial light at night was a significant contributor to the 'ecological armageddon' of decreasing insect populations. It was further argued that the transition to more blue light emitting LEDs made the…
LangLаngС
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Do these household substances repel wasps?
Many websites state that basic foods or household materials can repel wasps. For example:
Cucumbers, cloves and dryer-sheets
Peppermint oil, cinnamon powder
Do these substances work as wasp repellents?
jmite
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Do roaches die (naturally) on their backs?
First, a major qualifier here; by naturally, I mean not forced to die on its "stomach" (like by being stepped on). Secondly, I live in the U.S., so maybe this applies to only American roaches.
Literally every time I remember having seen a dead roach…
Just Some Old Man
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Any science behind folk remedies for mosquito bites?
My child is one of those people who is really attractive to mosquitoes, and she tends to obsess and itch them open — gross. This has prompted much well-meaning folk advice about itches, like this:
So, in text form:
inside of banana peel
paste of…
mattdm
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Are ants afraid of the smell of lemon?
From 13 Common Items for Getting Rid of Ants:
Lemons
You don’t need insecticides or ant traps to ant-proof your kitchen. Just give it the lemon treatment. First squirt some lemon juice on door thresholds and windowsills. Then squeeze lemon juice…
user5341
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Do closed closet doors keep moths out?
Some sites suggest that closed doors can keep moths out. Others report that keeping the closet doors closed does not help with moth control. So, does it?
The Student
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Are these bugs baffling entomologists with their appearance and behaviour?
Theffeed Tech have one example of a number of articles showing a video of six insects dancing in a synchronised way.
The text reads:
These weird looking bugs appeared in a house in Houston, Texas.
The off creatures have baffled NASA scientists and…
Jimmery
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